Index and system of indexing



Sep. 20, 1927.

. E. A. HEMPHILL INDEX`AND SYSTEM OF INDEXING 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 9, 1922 Patented sept. zo, 1927-.

*UNITED-@STATES N l l 1,643,161 PATENT OFFICE.

EDwAaD .HEMPHILL, 10F JERSEY cI'rY,'NEW JERSEY.

INDEX ANnsYs'rEM on INDEXING.

- 'Y l.Application led June 9, 1922. Serial No. 567,060.

kThe, invention relates to rnovel and useful improvements in av card indexingjsystem, and more especially to novel and useful classifying and identifyingmeans embodied in or with thecards. Y Y

Objects and advantages-of Ithe invention will-be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be. obvious herefrom, orl maybe learned vby practice with the invention, the

same beingrealized and attained by means Fig. y1 is a top plan, :looking vat a group Y Iofncardsdownwardly .and backwardly at an angle of approximately forty-iive Adegrees; f

. Fig. 2 shows/anyindex card-marked for a classl and `sub-class` infparticular, for the -inonth and day of the month to indicate a sub-class group; ,z y i EFig. S'is a class-indicating card, lin particular, a v'month-indicating card;v f

Fig. 4 is a data card, showing Yone applica- .tion tl1ereof',f and; indicatedufor, class and sub-.class by the `hcards of Figs. 2 and 3;

vFig. 5 is aviewsimilarto l, showing in particular alphabetical classes'and subclasses; g .Fig 6 shows anindex orindi'cating card, :marked for class and sub-class; and'.

Fig.- 7 showsea corresponding data card. `l`,The invention relates` to indexin'gjgdevices and vto a card index system incorporating or @embodying saiddevices, thefterm fc'ard'in-V .,dex beingused 1n a sense suiiicie-ntly broad -to cover library? cards,other kinds Yor forms ofy cards, ,loosef data or other` information vbearing sheets, books and the like'. -1 Q t i The invention is. preferably, and in some of its fcaturesesjsentially embodied in thatY type of indexwhcrein the cards have Vportions cut away to indicateclassification'and sub-classification, such. .cut-out portions coop'erating-fwith certain index cards for indicating classes and sub-classes, and which are visible through, or are indicated by,

these rcutout portions of the cards.

1 In theexemplary embodiment of Figs. l to 4, the invention is shown applied` to a set of cards,the class-.sand sub-class marks or notchesindicating the months and the days of the monthon the'respective cards. In Fig. l are shown the firstthree and the last three days of January; ythe first two. and the last day of February; and some of the days in `themonth of December, the intervening parts being broken away'. N

The ordinary cards, that is, the classified f information-bearing cards .1, are provided lwith a class-indicating notch or cut-away 4portion 2 and a sub-classY indicating or cutaway portion 3.` The two notches are of ydifferent sizes, preferably,so as visually to differentiate between the classl marker cutaway portionk andthe sub-class-mark or cutaway portion. The notches are preferably Vnshaped, or otherwise narrowing fromrthe top toward the bottom, so as to strengthen the cardsV and prevent:l breakage thereof alongside the notch, to which damagethe cards are very liable with square notches or openings, or other forms thereof which are wide at the. botttom.

Preferably there is printed on each card words, figures, or other Vmarks `or symbols indicating-both the class and the sub-class.

card, as ,shown at 5,V although this is unnecessary.

4There may be like markings for the sub- -class,in this case the days Yofthe'rino-nth, as

shown at 6,7this line of numbers being preferably arranged -above the classindicating line, in this'cas'e the months', for the reason that VtheJ sub-class or day indicating notchV yis shallower than the month indicating notch. The markings for the sub-class are arranged differently for different cards, as shown, for example, in Figs. 1 a1df2, in ord-er :to allow sufficient spacejto p'reventthe useof particular sub-classes limmediately above a particular main class, since the deep F preferably embodied, is shown in Fi.

notch for the inain classl should not cover the sah-class notch.

ln Fig. the use oi data or inlnniation upon the card l in connection with the indicating incans is shown. audits application towvarious cards, loose-leaves and the like, will he readilyy understood. c

In cooperation with the cards marked as descrihed. index cards are provided hoth for the classer and sah-cla The class index card 8 is shown in l J 3. and the class indicating notch QJ therein indicates the inonth et' March. In the case oi this card.` however. :is i'nclerahly employed, this card is used to iiidicate the month ot l'fehn ruary and the notch in alinelnent "with the cards :For March is cnt-away to provide a ready sight along the alincd notchesy oz' output parts oi the March cards. t

The particular card shown in Fig. il if@ shown also near the center ot Fig. l. the Word Felt thereon hein; in alincnient with thenotches tor February in the Fein-nani' cards in iront ot this card S. Thus in usual practice. the clziss-iinlicaling or guide card has the class designation printed thereon in alineincnt with the class notch in the corre spending data oi" indexed cards, this card being notched in alineinent with the class notch 'tor the succeeding class simply to provide a clear view :torthe next class. The `index card 8 'tor January and that iter December are also shown in Fig. l.

The index card 9 for the snh-classesas k` 2 ot the drawings. and also a plurality o'l these are slioivinin their relation to the other cards in Fig. l.. llhesesnh-class cards are preferably provided with the class a c s nh class notches or i'narlrings Q and 3, the class notch 2 in these cards being in alincnient with the corrcslioinling class notches in the data or other indexed cards, hut the suhclass notch in alincinent with the next subclass beyond or to the rear. similarlyv to the class notch in the class iinlcxcards.

In Figs. 5.. G and 'l'. the invention is shown. applied to a cias liication under the letters o't'the alphabet, and sah-classitication also under the letters et the alphabet. lint the saine general description will apply thereto. In Fig. (i, thc class-indicating card Sn' corresponds to card S o'i Fig. and in T, the interniation-hearing card l corresponds to card l ot Fig. 4. n

The classifications .shown in these Vfigures is under the letters oi the Valphabet as classes. and also as suh-clas1s groups under both A and ll. The cards are snh-classiiied 'from A.. to F. ilroin GY to l', tironi L to M. :troni to ll and 'troni F; to Z. The arrangement here is entirely sin'iilar to that already descrihcd, and Will he apprehended fully without 'further detailed description.

lt Will he understood that changes may be inode from the details herein shown and described, within the scope et the acconi-- panying claims, without departing 'troni the principles ot the invention, and Without sacs riicing its chiot aC tantages.

What I claim is l. An index system comprising a plurality of index cards or sheets arranged in classes and sub-classes, said cards having notches olf' one size and depth positioned to indicato particular classes, and notches of another size and depth positioned to indicate particular suli-classes, and index marks on each lard cooperating with the notches.

2. An index system con'iprising a plurality oi index cards or sheet-s arranged in classes and suh-classes, said cards having notches oit one depth positioned to indicate particular classes, and notches of another depth positioned to indicate particular sub-classes, and index marks on cach card cooperating with the notches.

3. An index card having two rows of indicia at different levels near the top thereof, and having a relatively deep notch cooperating With an indiciuin in the lower row and a shallower notch cooperating with an indi ciuin in the upper row.

Ll. A card index system for a plurality ott classes comprising a plurality of cards for each class, each of' Which is provided With an aligning class-indicating notch, and a class index card for each class which is pr0- vided with a notch out of alineinent with the notches of the cards in its class.

5. A card index system for a plurality of classes comprising a plurality of cards for each class, each oi which is provided with an aligning class-indicating notch, and a class index card for placement at the rear of the cards. of each class, and provided with a notch out of alinement with the notches of the cards of its class.

6. A card index system for a plurality of classes comprising a plurality of cards for each class, each of which is provided with an aligning class-indicating notch, and an indicia-hearing class index card for each class if'or placement at the rear of its class, whereby one of the indicia. thereon is visible along the groove formed by the notches in the cards of its class, said class index card being provided with a notch in alineinent with the class-indicating notches in the "fob lowing` class. i

7. A card index system dividedinto classes and sub-classes, the cards in a class heilig each provided with alined class-indicating notches, and `being further provided With alined subclass indicating notches, and guide cards for the classes and sub-classes which are placed at the rear oi their own classes and sub-classes and which hear indicia readable along the class and sub-class grooves formed `by the notched cards.

8. A card indeX system divided into classes and sub-classes, the cards in a class being each provided with alined class-indieating notches, rand being further provided with alinedsub-class indicating notches,`and guide `cards for the classes and sub-classes which are placed at the rear of their own classes andr sub-classes and which bear indicia readable along the class and sub-class grooves formed by the notchedr cards, the guide'cards being provided with class and sub-class indicating notches in `alineinent with the class and sub-class notches ofthe cards in the adjacent succeeding group of cards.

9. A card index `system divided into classes and sub-classes, all the cards of a yparticular class being notched in their upper edges at the saine place, and all the cards of a particular sub-class being again similarly and correspondingly notched in their upper edges but ata different place, the cards having indicia marked thereon along their upper edges for determining the placement ot' the two notches, and guide cards having similar indicia inarled'thereon along their upper edges for placement at the( rear of a class" or sub-class, each of the guide cards having class andy sub-class notches in its upper edge registering` with the class and sub-class notches of the succeeding class or sub-class, leaving its own class and sub-class In testimony whereof, vI have signed 1ny naine to this specilication.

EDWARD A; HEMPHILL. 

